hoosierbass07

I hope to start using crankbaits a little more next year. I bought one Strike King that I used this summer occasionally but not enough to catch anything. I recently bought a Luck-E-Strike Rick Clunn crankbait. I've not used it yet but it's far prettier than my Strike King crankbait.

If I can find any black Friday fishing kayak deals online or in stores I might buy one. Does anyone know if any online stores have black Friday kayak deals? I might even go up to $800 if I can find a good deal. Thanks!

I ordered some Berkley Gulp Heads for the first time this week and they arrived today. I enjoy watching In-Fisherman and I see them featured a lot. So I decided to try them. I looked for them at the local Gander Mountain store and did not find them. I looked on Tackle Warehouse and did not find them. I don't I found them on Bass Pro Shops either. I ended up ordering them from Berkley direct. I will say once they ship (it took them a few days) it got to me quick. I'm wondering if anybody out there has used them? I'm also wondering - why aren't more stores carrying them? I would think since they are from a major manufacturer, they would be stocked in nearly all the online stores and even my local Gander Mountain. I never asked if they carried them but I have looked over their fishing section a lot and didn't find any. So I ordered direct from Berkley. So, anybody out there use them? What's your opinion on them? I hope to start using soft swim baits next season along with plastic worms/lizards/creatures. I guess I'll take my new Gulp heads and stick them in my tackle box for next spring. They look well made though and I can't wait to try them out.

Go to Harbor Freight if you have one in your area and buy a cheap scale. I bought one a few years ago to weigh ancient coins and I've discovered it comes in handy when I want to weigh lures. Actually, I've used much more weighing lures than anything else. Throw on your plastic, hook, bullet weight and get the total weight!

You aren't the only one that has not had much success with jigs. I'm back to thinking jigs are over rated. But if they work for you then go for it!

Maybe I'm impatient or like to waste money or have become fishing crazy, but I bought some Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon 12 lb line for my new reel. I tried it today and did not like it. I put the reel on one of my ugly sticks and was throwing a jig, a little on the heavy side. I would cast/lob it and when the jig hit the water the line kept running off, but then it would keep running off and form twists. I figured out how to fix the problem though. After I made my casts and the lure hit the water I would take my left hand and stop the line and lower the bail. This kept extra line from running off. But overall I was unhappy with how the line wanted to twist up if I did not stop it. So after I got home I yanked it all of and put on some Trilene mono easy cast in 12 lb. I tied a weight on and tried it out in the back yard and it wanted to run off too. I finally had enough and decided to try something I've not tried since early spring - Braid. I went to Walmart tonight and bought some 30 lb Power Pro braid. I left 1/3 of the mono on my reel and tied the braid to it and reeled it up. WOW! I tried it out tonight in the back yard. Almost zero memory and it DID NOT WANT TO JUMP OFF the reel! This real, by the way, will be my jig reel/heavy comver reel. Something I will probably not use much but want in my collection. So is this a good set up or what - 30 lb Power Pro braid and I will tie 12 lb Seaguar Red Label Fluorocarbon on for a leader. Good for bass and larger fish? What's the best knot for Power Pro to Fluorocarbon leader? I have to say that braid is super strong and smooth. I will not be able to try it out until next week but I can't wait and I expect it will cast a lot better than that fluorocarbon or mono.

This evening I bought a new spinning reel - a Shimano Saharah 4000 at Gander Mountain. I'm trying build up a small collection of nice spinning reels that I can use for bass fishing and maybe bigger fish in the future. I have two other Shimano spinning reels - a smaller Sahara that I love with eight lb mono on it, and a Symetre with ten lb mono it. I wanted the larger Sahara to cast a little larger line - around twelve lb mono. I have read on forums that larger mono does not do well on spinning reels. OK, I heard that. But I love spinning reels. Yeah, I do have a nice baitcaster but I really want to focus on spinning reels. My questions are - for those of you who use heavy line on spinning reels - what's your favorite line and brand and size? Mono, fluro, braid? What brand? What's the best brand in twelve lb line for spinning reels? Would it be best to run braid with a leader? Thanks!

OK, now I have two nice (to me at least) rods in my rod collection - a St. Croix Triumph seven foot medium powered fast rod. It's rated for lures that weigh 1/4 to 5/8. My new rod that arrived today is a Fenwick HMG six foot six inch medium powered with a lure weight of 1/4 to 3/4. I'm starting to focus on lure weights so I can match them to my new rods and any future rods I may purchase. I have some digital scales and I was weighing some of my favorite lures I like throwing. I'm wondering, how important is it to stay within the listed weights for rods? Can using lures at the maximum limit of the rod eventually break the rod tip? Would it be safe to use a 3/4 oz lure on a rod that's maximum is 3/4 oz? I bought a swim jig this evening and when I put a trailer on it, the total weight is almost 3/4. Would throwing that weight wear out the rod faster or cause it to break sooner of the rod is rated for 1/4 to 3/4? Thanks

When the knot goes through the guides, can the knot hurt the guides?

I love spinning reels and want to buy another one to add to my two Shimano reels. I love how the Pflueger spinning reels look. They have a nice eye catching look to them. I do need a new reel devoted to six pound line (mono or fluoro or braid) for bass. The President would be a good choice? I don't have any experience with Pflueger reels.

Wait for late March and early spring. Maybe start fishing for other species of fish.

I haven't gotten any bites during the three times I banked fish (for about one hour each time) the last few days.

I'm still learning about rods and power/action. Can medium/light rods be used to catch big Large Mouth Bass? If so, what medium/light rod would you recommend for a newbie who wants one for bass fishing in open water and bank fishing?

OK, I placed an order for the 2014 Fenwick spinning HMG. 6'6" medium. Can't wait to try it out when it arrives next week (if it's not freezing out lol). I did go to Gander Mountain again this evening and they did have a couple of St. Croix Premier rods. Also many Bass Mojo rods. Those Mojo rods looked nice but since I bought a St. Croix Triumph a few days ago I was wanting to try a different company. So I picked that Fenwick HMG. My brother says Fenwick was one of the premier fishing rod companies back in the 70s (or before) before all those other rod companies came out. Can't wait to go after bass with it! I hope I can advance my fishing skills with those two rods more than I have with my Ugly Sticks. Anyway, those two rods should hold me over till spring 2014.

Maybe a little vegetation but not much.

I'm trying to start buying nice fishing rods now. When I started fishing during the spring I focused on lures and reels. I bought three reels - two spinning reels and one baitcaster. I had one baitcaster and one spinning reel on Ugly Sticks. I picked Ugly Sticks because they were cheap and I figured if I broke one it would easy to replace. Also they were on the slightly heavy side, so I figured I would be ready to reel in the giant bass or other giant fish I might find here in Indiana, lol. My other spinning reel was on one of my brothers Shimano Spinning rods and after some research I think that rod is made for trolling more than casting. So now I want to upgrade my rods to some nice ones. I bought my first St. Croix Triump last night at Gander Mountain. Gander really did not have much of a selection. I understand now that I will have to start ordering rods online if I wan the good ones. Anyway, I bought the St. Croix Triumph for one of my spinning reels. It's 7 foot medium with fast tip. Now I want to buy another spinning reel, this time online. I was thinking about one of the St. Croix Premier rods or a Fenwick. The two rods I'm looking at are: St. Croix Premier: PS66MF - six foot six inch medium/fast. 1/4 to 5/8 lure weight. Fenwick HMG: GS - 66M - MF - six foot six inch medium/moderate fast. 1/4 to 3/4 lure weight. What's everyone's opinion on these two rods? I assume the St. Croix is one of the most well known rods in fishing. I don't know much about Fenwick though. One important thing I do want is a good warranty in case the rod breaks because of me or something else. Also, any other rods I should consider? My price range is around $100 to $120. Thanks!

This is the main reason I'm using more and more spinning reels over my baitcaster. I can't cast light lures like I can with spinning reels.

For next season I want to throw more jerkbaits, rattle baits and crankbaits and spinner baits. I want to do this using only spinning reels. Any rods in the $150 or under range that are for spinning reels and would be good for jerkbaits/crankbaits and maybe a little top water? Thanks much!

Well I went to my favorite state park this evening and fished off a boat dock. Caught a small bass. My first bass in a month or so. It was nice to catch one during this late fall/early winter period. Caught it on a plastic worm with a long tail.

I'm in west central Indiana. I've not caught a bass while bank fishing in a month or so. I will admit I had one on the line three weeks ago but it got free of the hook. Since then I've not caught anything. I did go to one of the local Izaak Walton League ponds/lake yesterday and a guy in a one person boat caught a bass on a spinnerbait. You are right about the warm part of fall skipping us. I hate that. I was hoping for a three or four weeks of watching the leaves turn yellow, red and gold and some nice fall fishing.

I made a quick scan of the Berkley Gulp Alive buckets at Gander Mountain a few days ago. I noticed they were expensive - $19.99 each. I'm talking about those baits in those small buckets with liquid. Are they worth the money? Do they work? I read you can take the plastic lures and put them back in the liquid when you are done with them. I'm wondering how many of you use them and what your opinions are. Thanks

Do fish finders come with that device that goes under the boat/canoe or do you have to buy those separate? I guess if I get one (and I would like to buy one) I want it to tell me if there are fish and bass around the area and also how deep the water is and if there are any stumps or drop offs.

Today I bought some In-Fisherman DVDs on sale at Gander Mountain. I watched a couple tonight and one short segment was about the differences of LMB in different regions. One thing I remember them saying is that Illinois LMB were transplanted to Minnesota lakes and not one survived Minnesota's cold winter weather. So as one would assume, northern bass keep eating at a cold temperature that would shut down southern bass.

Are fish finders waterproof? I mean, if water splashes on them are they protected or can they be damaged from water?

OK, I have a few questions on fish finders and those type of things. First, I don't really know much about them. I've never owned one before. What is a good fish finder for around $200 and under? And, can a fish finder be used with a canoe? I know people who use fishing kayaks can use fish finders. But what about canoes? Thanks!